1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a technology in which an irradiator that irradiates a liquid with light by which the liquid is cured in an image recording technology in which a plurality of print heads that discharge a photocurable liquid are used.
2. Related Art
Image recording apparatuses, such as an ink jet printer, that perform image recording by discharging a photocurable liquid from the nozzles of a print head, and curing the liquid discharged onto the recording medium through light from an irradiator are known in the related art. In such an image recording apparatus, because the print head and the irradiator are arranged lined up, a problem arises in which light is incident on a nozzle forming surface (discharge surface) of the print head, and liquid attached to the nozzle forming surface is cured, as indicated by JP-A-2004-338223. If liquid attached to the nozzle forming surface is cured, there is concern of defects occurring in the image recording. In JP-A-2004-338223, maintenance in which the cured liquid is wiped from the nozzle forming surface is proposed.
JP-A-2004-284141 responds to the problem by suppressing the light incident on the nozzle forming surface of the print head. More specifically, light in the configuration is irradiated from the irradiator in a direction receding from the print head by inclining the irradiator arranged lined up with the print head, and the incidence of light on the nozzle forming surface is suppressed.
In the configuration that inclines the irradiator as in JP-A-2004-284141, because the incidence of light on the nozzle forming surface can be suppressed, it is possible for the liquid attached to the nozzle forming surface to not be cured, or curing to be kept to a minimum. Therefore, even when performing maintenance such as in JP-A-2004-338223, for example, there is an advantage of the liquid being easily wiped away. However, in an image recording apparatus that performs image recording by ejecting the liquid from a plurality of print heads lined up in the transport direction while transporting the recording medium in the transport direction, there is concern of the advantage according to the configuration in which the irradiator is inclined being insufficiently utilized.
In other words, in the image recording apparatus using a plurality of print heads, there are cases in which the irradiator is arranged between adjacent print heads. When the irradiator is inclined in such a case, even though it is possible for the incidence of light with respect to the nozzle forming surface of the print head on one side of the irradiator to be definitely suppressed, the incident of light with respect to the nozzle forming surface of the print head on the other side of the irradiator increases instead. As a result, the liquid attached to the nozzle forming surface of the print head on the other side is cured to a corresponding extent, and for example, a situation may occur in which the liquid is not easily removed by the maintenance such as wiping.